a happy end no one knows
by Yotsubadancesintherain5
Summary: Or how infatuation leads to the strangest roads. Part 3 of the Fairytale/Supernatural series.


Once upon a time, in the countryside, there were two young adults who were peddlers. One was quite handsome and the other was quite scary looking. Both were kind in heart and were honest in their ways, personal and business-wise.

One day, in an early morning when they opened up shot, a witch visited the peddlers. She became infatuated with the handsome one, who was named Sunakawa Makoto, and she visited the shop often. When she bought her items, she pointedly would ignore the scary one, who was named Gouda Takeo. He often did not notice.

One day, in Autumn, the witch confessed her feelings for Suna, who declined. The witch became angry and cast a spell.  
Takeo had lunged in front of the spell and was transformed into an oni. His skin turned blood red, and his front teeth turned into tusks. Two horns grew from the top of his head and his nails became claws. They pierced through his shoes.

The witch, her anger evaporated, was horrified. She called upon her teacher, and the teacher examined Takeo. She deduced that since the spell was based on someone's rejected infatuation, Takeo would have to receive someone's genuine affection. The spell was born of rage, a binding kind of magic, and could not be cured by potions.

The teacher and the remorseful witch departed. Suna chose to stay with his friend, and helped him cut off the excess claws.

Winter arrived softly, small flakes of snow drifting down lazily. In a small, provincial town a young adult named Yamato Rinko was ready to leave for the city. She was going to apply for a job at a baker's shop. She left her town with encouraging farewells and did not take notice when the local baker, Ichinose Kouki, held her hand tighter than the rest, as if anchoring her to the town.

When she was halfway to her destination, winter turned harsh. The sleet stung and the snow was nearly knee deep. Rinko had not prepared for a storm and the cold crept and burrowed deep into her skin. She lost the path in the storm and stumbled in the snow, desperate for shelter.

She saw something dark and reached out, feeling a cold, wooden door. Rinko felt for the knob and turned it.

What greeted her when she opened the door made her scream. She backed away and fell back into the snow, and the oni in front of her opened up his jaw to eat her.

Or so she thought. What really happened was that the oni started apologizing, his voice rougher than tree bark. His hands were clean and free of razor sharp nails and he helped Rinko to her feet.  
Upon a second look, Rinko found that the oni's appearance was not as scary as she thought. It still sent shivers down her spine but the snow could have been another factor.

The oni invited her inside, and Rinko accepted. When she entered, there was another human in the corridor. They all introduced themselves and Takeo showed Rinko where the kitchen was. There was a stew prepared, and Rinko was given a portion.

The storm continued to rage outside, and Rinko was offered shelter from the vicious cold. She gladly accepted.

In the following days, Rinko found herself conversing with Takeo often. She told him of her dream to open a baker's shop, how she learned to bake and the joy of something being created with your own two hands. The people in her town were polite and encouraging but there was something different with Takeo.  
He asked questions when she described how to make the dough just right, and was eager to learn when she got the ingredients proper. He was clumsy with the dough and his bread was not quite risen but it was not for a lack of trying.

Days past and the roads were safe to travel on by foot. Rinko promised the two to visit again when she would head off to the city.

When Rinko returned to the town and told of what happened, Ichinose got it into his head that she would need protecting when she left the town again. He offered this to Rinko but she declined. Ichinose was relentless, and decided to follow her anyway.

After a few days of preparation, Rinko left for the city. Grass was beginning to appear beneath the snow when she left, and the footsteps of her unsuspected follower were muffled without the crunch of fresh snow. Ichinose's eyebrows furrowed when Rinko walked off the path. When he followed, he saw Rinko enter a small building. He carefully turned the knob so as not to make any noise. He stepped softly through the building, and heard talking. He found the source in the kitchen.

Rinko's sound of surprise when he entered was drowned out by Ichinose's screams. There was an oni in the kitchen, and he was going to devour the girl! Ichinose looked about widely, not registering the shouts. He grasped a knife and thrust it forward into the oni.

Or so it seemed. Rinko brought down a frying pan on Ichinose's hand, making him drop the knife and scream again. He cradled his hand and saw Rinko step in front of the oni, her arms spread out to protect it. The other human dove for the knife and returned it to the drawer, glaring at Ichinose.

Rinko commanded Ichinose to not hurt Takeo and the man looked at her incredulously. Though upon second glance the oni did not look that scary, he asked why Rinko would ever protect the monster.  
She only spread her arms out wider, and said, with a wavering voice, that Takeo was her friend and she would not stand to see him hurt.

When the words were spoken, a gentle light enveloped the oni.

Takeo raised his hands up, human hands and glanced about the room. The stranger looked like he was going to faint, Rinko looking up in wonder and Suna looking with approval.  
There was some chaos afterwards. Rinko asked how this could be and the stranger managed to squeak out an apology. Suna looked unimpressed and Rinko glared at him. Takeo silently accepted the apology. He did look frightening as an oni.

The stranger stumbled out, the hand struck by a frying pan apparently uninjured. Takeo was glad for that.

He told the story of what happened to Rinko, who listened intently.

Happily ever after was a long way away but that time would come eventually.

**A/N: Originally posted on Ao3 on November 13 th 2016.**

**Title taken from the Vocaloid song of the same name by 40Meter-P and Tama. I actually really don't like Ichinose but I think I kept in my dislike for him. I was worried I would go too far if I didn't keep in my dislike. Also the reason the fairy was changed to a witch was because, honestly, fairies were never that nice in the first place.**


End file.
